Seoul is preparing for its first ever severe heatwave warning on Tuesday as the South Korea heatwave pushes westward and forecasters expect 38C in the capital. The warning comes after South Korea logged 16 fatalities linked to heat since May, with more than 2,000 people treated for heat-related illnesses.
Residents of Seoul are now facing three sweltering days of 37C after Tuesday, in a city of more than 9 million people. Seoul authorities held an emergency meeting on Monday and sent nurses to check up to 63,000 residents deemed most vulnerable, while 200 trucks began spraying almost 2,000km of roads with water up to six times a day in the most problematic areas.
Seoul emergency measures
Lee Jae Myung called on officials to take necessary measures to protect daily lives and inspect power systems. The move came as Seoul prepared for the warning system’s first use this year, a step shaped by the speed of the heat as it shifts from the southeast toward Seoul.
Kim, a Seoul construction worker, said: "We take a 10-minute break every hour, but there isn’t even a fan here, so all we can do is sit in the shade … I sweat so much that my clothes rub my skin raw wherever they touch." Outdoor workers are bearing the brunt of the heat, and Seoul’s checks are aimed first at residents least able to avoid it.
Yangsan and Goryeong
South Korea recorded its highest ever temperature in Yangsan on Sunday afternoon, when the reading reached 42.5C, the highest temperature measured in 122 years of weather observations. On Monday, the nation’s highest temperature was 41.2C in Goryeong, Seoul reached 39C in the Guro district, and multiple cities and regions topped 41C.
The Korea Meteorological Administration attributed the heatwave to overlapping high-pressure systems over the Korean peninsula combined with strong, direct sunlight under clear skies. In South Gyeongsang province, the heat was intensified by the foehn phenomenon, when wind crosses a mountain range and becomes hotter and drier on the other side.
North Gyeongsang province drones
North Gyeongsang province officials are flying drones equipped with loudspeakers to broadcast safety messages, and the drones are also using thermal imaging cameras over areas crowded with people on summer holidays. Lee, a 55-year-old from Gwangmyeong who collects shopping carts, said: "Lacking ventilitation makes the experience feel like being inside a sauna."
South Korea’s extreme weather is being treated as exceptional, yet the language from Lee about a "fundamental overhaul of the national crisis system" points to a harder reality for Seoul: the hazard is now routine enough to demand daily controls, not just warnings. The heatwave’s next test is the capital’s first severe alert on Tuesday, followed by three more forecast days at 37C.
The immediate question for Seoul is how long the run of 37C heat will last after those three days, because the capital’s emergency checks, road spraying and worker protections are already being pushed into a sustained response rather than a one-off alert.
